Lab Syllabus: Chemistry 400 Folsom Lake College Fall 2015
Instructor: Dr. Marjorie Samples
Website:
http://home.comcast.net/~drsamples or http://drmssamples.com
Email:
samplem@flc.losrios.edu
Lab Schedule: M/W 7:30 AM – 10:35 AM FL2 109 Section 15342
M/W 2:30 PM – 5:35 PM FL2-109 Section 15343 (Prof. Hwang)
Lab Description/Prerequisite The laboratory includes both qualitative and quantitative
exercises and experiments covering nomenclature, stoichiometry, reaction types, solubility and
net ionic equations, atomic structure and bonding, gases, liquids, and solutions. The
prerequisites are completion with "C" or better in Chem 300 or Chem 305 or high school
chemistry AND a “C” or better in Math 120 or math placement exam results which show
placement in a higher-level math class. Turn in proof of prerequisite by the start of the third lab
meeting or you will be dropped from the class.
Lab Safe Space This lab is a Safe Space: a welcoming and inclusive place where anyone can
fully express their identity without fear on account of sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation,
gender identity, gender expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, or physical or
mental ability. In this lab, we strive to treat all others with respect and dignity.
Required Materials for Lab
• Chem 400 Laboratory Manual Folsom Lake College
• Scientific Calculator (No Graphics or Calculators with Memory are allowed for
exams) Recommended: TI-30X IIS; TI-30X A; HP-9S; Casio FX260
• Bound laboratory notebook: National Brand Computation Notebook 43-648; OR Nalgene Lab
Notebook 6301-1000 (listed for Chem 410). No other notebooks accepted.
• Lab safety indirect vent goggles, stamped Z87.1 or Z87 (safety glasses are not accepted)
• Disposable nitrile gloves or reusable dishwashing gloves
• Knee-length Lab apron or lab coat
• Rubber Pipet Bulb (at bookstore)
• Closed foot shoes (like sneakers or boots: ideally leather): YOU MUST WEAR CLOSED
FOOT SHOES FOR ALL LAB PERIODS STARTING WITH THE SECOND LAB PERIOD.
THIS IS IRREGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU WILL BE CONDUCTING A WET LAB! YOU
WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE IF YOU ARE NOT WEARING APPROPRIATE SHOES AND
IT WILL COUNT AS AN ABSENCE!
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory for laboratory and roll will be taken. The first 2
lab/lecture days are critical, as an absence on any one of these first 2 days will result in your
being dropped from the class. This applies to waitlisted students as well: you will lose your
place in the waitlist if you are absent on these first days (either lecture or lab). Please note that
you may also be dropped from the class if you have excessive lab and or lecture absences, as
defined in the College Catalog as 6% of class sessions (Which equals 4 class sessions, any
combination of lecture and lab. So if you miss 3 lectures and 1 lab, you can be dropped from
the class.). Irregardless of lecture attendance, if you miss 3 of your regularly scheduled
lab periods, you will either be dropped from the class or you will not receive a passing
grade for the class. If you decide to drop the class, it is YOUR responsibility to officially "drop"
the class.
Class Behavior: Turn off cell phones and pagers BEFORE you walk into the lab. Also, as this
is a chemistry lab, no children or babies are allowed. Do not carry on irrelevant conversations
Chem 400 Lab Syllabus Dr. Samples FLC F15 page 1
during the lab, but do ask questions and make appropriate comments. If you engage in
disruptive behavior during lab—talking, inappropriate comments or behavior, etc.—you may be
asked to leave the lab. Remember, disruptive behavior is any behavior that hinders or obstructs
the teaching process. This behavior may also be subject to disciplinary action as described in
the College Handbook.
Tardiness: Come to class on time and stay the whole class: late arrivals and early departures
distract both the instructor and your fellow learners, and you may be marked as absent if you
are tardy. If you are late to lab, you will lose points on that lab experiment/exercise, and if the
instructor feels that you have missed vital procedural or safety information, you will be asked to
leave the lab, and it will count as an absence.
Laboratory Safety: The goal of the Chem 400 Lab is to familiarize students with basic
chemistry equipment and techniques, and to help students develop the ability to draw
reasonable and logical conclusions from observations and data. Safety, however, should
always be the number one priority. The lab safety rules must be followed at all times. Safety
goggles (OSHA approved goggles must be purchased) are required at all times, and no open
toed shoes are allowed. No food, candy, gum, or drinks (including water) are allowed in the lab.
No smoking is allowed in the lab or classroom. Unsafe or disruptive behavior will not be
tolerated and will result in a loss of points for that lab or exercise, and may also result in
expulsion from that lab class. Instructions given by the lab instructor must be followed or
expulsion from the lab may result. All spills, accidents, or injuries must be reported to the
instructor at once. Also, be aware that Los Rios does not carry medical insurance on students.
Any costs for medical care are the responsibility of the student.
If you have any medical condition that you think may be affected by exposure to the chemicals
normally used during the labs of Chemistry 400, please consult with me immediately! Specific
examples would include respiratory conditions (such as asthma), and pregnancy. If you have
such a condition, please also consult with your physician about any potential hazards in the
laboratory.
Laboratory Preparation and Grade (10% of grade): There are 20 lab experiments or
activities, and if you have completed all of the labs/exercises in the laboratory and obtained the
necessary initials (see next paragraph), then the lab experiments/exercises are worth 10% of
your grade, with each experiment worth 50 points and each activity worth 25 points. NO LABS
OR EXERCISES ARE DROPPED FROM YOUR GRADE! Remember, although the graded
labs are worth 10% of your point grade, if you miss more than 2 of the scheduled lab sessions
you will not pass this class. Also, you must pass the safety quiz in order to conduct labs. The
safety quiz is pass/no pass, so it is not part of your grade.
It is important to be prepared for lab by having read the lab procedure prior to coming to lab. If
you are not prepared and do not have an idea of the procedure, safety could be compromised.
To avoid this, you must prepare a prelab writeup (see Lab Notebook Guidelines/Grading
Handout). The prelab writeup will be initialed by the instructor, and you will not be allowed to
start the lab until these have been completed. You must stay in the laboratory (except for short
bathroom/water breaks and the allowed 20 minute break at the end of lab) until the lab period is
over or you have completed the lab. Once the instructor has verified your completion of the lab,
the instructor will initial your data or worksheet showing that you have completed the lab. For
multi-day labs, the instructor will initial your data when you have reached the stated acceptable
stop point for that lab period. As these instructor initials are proof of lab attendance as well as
lab completion, no initials counts as a missed lab or lab period. The lab period includes 2 10Chem 400 Lab Syllabus Dr. Samples FLC F15 page 2
minute breaks, which will be taken at the end of the lab so that the cleaning crew can clean the
lab (see below). All other students are expected to leave 20 minutes prior to the official end of
lab.
You will work individually in the lab, although several labs will be done in groups of 2. You are
also responsible for helping to maintain a clean and safe lab environment. If you have not
cleaned up after finishing the lab, it is possible to lose points on the laboratory notebook.
Laboratory rule infractions will also result in a loss of points on lab exercises and/or lab
experiments. This is explained in the lab notebook handout. Lastly, every person must
sign up to clean the lab twice a semester; it is part of your lab grade! If you haven’t
cleaned twice, then you will lose 10% of your lab grade for each time you miss. So you
could lose 20% of your lab grade total.
Lab Makeups: If you miss a lab, there are NO makeups for any reason! Instead, your score
on the corresponding Lab Exam will substitute for the grade of the lab missed. However,
only 2 lab absences will be allowed per semester to have the lab exam score substituted for the
lab score. A third lab absence will result in a drop or a failing grade. If you are absent, you may
not use any other student’s data and turn it in as your own data. If you use another student’s
data, or if you make up data (data falsification), you may be dropped or you may not pass this
class. This is cheating as well as data falsification, and may result in an F for the class.
Lab notebooks and lab exercises are due on the due dates given in the attached schedule.
There are 2 free lates for lab exercises and 3 free lates for lab notebooks. A free late must be
turned in the next lab period. Besides this, NO late lab exercises or notebooks are accepted;
instead a zero grade will result. These free lates apply to an unfinished notebook or an absence
on a due date. Example: You are absent on 9/28 (for any reason including illness or
emergencies), so you must turn in your notebook for Experiment #2 on 9/30 using a free late or
you will receive a zero on Exp 2. In this example, your Lab Exam 1 score would become your
lab grade for Exp 3, and this would also count as a free late. So with one absence, you could
potentially use up most of the free lates. Note that these free lates get consumed very quickly if
you are absent, so do not miss lab unless you have a serious illness or emergency. If you have
a scheduled doctors appointment, it is in your best interest to attend another lab section on the
same day so that you can still meet the scheduled due date for the lab being conducted that
day. However, you must obtain permission from both lab instructors to attend the other lab
section.
Lab Exams (10% of Grade): There will be 3 lab exams covering the lab experiments and lab
topics. This includes qualitative and quantitative problem solving, safety, and how to use lab
equipment. These lab exams will also make up the grade for a lab absence. You may only make
up one lab per a given lab exam, and only two labs may be made up with lab exams. If you are
absent for a lab exam, there is no makeup.
Academic Honesty Cheating is not tolerated, and this is particularly true in the lab. Forging
data in the real world is a criminal offense (and so it should be as people’s lives depend on the
accuracy of this data) and so you must learn that faking data in any way is absolutely not
tolerated. So if you forge data in your lab notebook, you may be dropped from the class or
receive an F.
Extra Credit: No extra credit points are given.
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